Master and Commander

The Locations and Sets

The main setting of the film is the HMS Surprise, which was in turn made up of various sets and a relatively large model. The below deck scenes were all shot on a set, since the largest problem with films set at sea is oftentimes the sea itself. However, many scenes were shot on an actual ship based on the real-life replica of the 6th rate frigate HMS Rose - which was then it's name, though it has been renamed HMS Surprise in honour of it's role. The ship herself was modified to better fit the purposes of the film, as you can find through this link. They also made ample use of models and CGI for the scenes of both ships oustide the decks of each.

The Acheron has, while not a major set, both a physical model used for close-ups and a CGI model - both based on the replica of the USS Consitiution. This makes sense as the ship is explicitly stated to have the same style of hull construction and place of construction (Boston).

The various seas, of course, are also major locations and will be covered as a category. This is because all the scenes on the weather deck were filmed in the large water tank in Rosartio Beach, Mexico that was made to film James Cameron's Titanic. However, the shots from the outside of the Surprise during stormy weather were all filmed with a replica of the Endeavour as she rounded Cape Horn.

The Galapagos islands were also major locations and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World was the first movie to be filmed on these beautiful islands, as it would be too difficult to believeably reproduce and the Galapagos Conservation Trust claims that no damage was done to the islands.